The United Arab Emirates (UAE) will send the largest national delegation to the 101st China Import and Export Trade Fair to be held on April 15-30, a senior UAE official said Wednesday.

UAE Minister of Economy Sheikha Lubna Al Qasimi made the announcement at a press conference held at his ministry.

According to the official, the UAE delegation including 70 entrepreneurs will be "the largest among the national delegations" participating in the event, which is commonly known as Canton Fair held biannually in the southern Chinese city of Guangzhou.

The ministry hopes that the high-profile participation in Canton Fair will open doors for the UAE's small to medium sized businesses and "establish investment and trade relations with Chinese producers and companies and to see the latest products that can benefit the UAE and regional markets," Sheikha Lubna told the reporters.

In addition to focusing on industrial and trade products, the UAE delegation will also attend seminars on Chinese products, export procedures and potential deals during the event.

The UAE is the second largest trade partner of China among the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries and the largest market for Chinese exports in the region. The trade volume between the UAE and China reached 14.2 billion U.S. dollars in 2006.